1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a device for arranging in a uniform head-tail alignment fish being fed at random and conveyed in the direction of their longitudinal axes by turning such fish which are moving with their tail end leading, the device comprising at least feeding means, outlet means and a driven seizing and turning arrangement for seizing the tail region of the fish whose tail end is leading and for turning the same, this seizing and turning arrangement being associated to the feeding means and the outlet means and comprising gripping means turning about an essentially horizontal axis, having a plurality of pincer-like elements, and defining a clamping slot.
2. Description of Prior Art
Such devices are known, e.g. in the form of a device for arranging fish (see Swedish Pat. No. 211 584) in which a turning device arranged above a feeding chute for turning fish running tail end leading to run head end leading is used. This turning apparatus consists of a rotatingly driven gripper with a fixed and moveable gripper arm, the latter being held resiliently in open position. While the first gripper arm has an orbit nearly tangential to the feeding chute, the mobile one is displaced against the force of the spring into closed position with the fixed gripper arm when it approaches the feeding chute. A pulse or timing device ensures the release of a fish when the gripper is in the ready position so that the fish are led separetely to the waiting gripper opening which runs parallel to the feeding chute. Only fish sliding tail first can enter the gripper opening while the fish running head end leading are held back by the fixed gripper arm. The fish caught in this manner by its tail in the further circulation of the gripper is pulled free from the feeding chute and released after reaching the suspended position, i.e. head end leading. The fish already orientated head end leading is also released in this position due to the diverging movement of the gripper relative to the feeding chute.
This device has not been used in practice, on the one hand because it cannot be ensured that the tail fin reaches the gripper opening and on the other it cannot be avoided that single fish, especially little single fish are seized by their body and damaged by squeezing.
Furthermore there is known a device for turning fish moving with their tail end leading (see German Utility Model No. 81 29 197). This device works according to the mentioned clamping principle and comprises clamping means driven to rotate about a horizontal axis and having a plurality of clamping elements forming a clamping slot perpendicular with respect to the axis. This device includes a feeding channel having a gap at its base. The feeding channel is arranged such that the gap lies flush with the clamping slot and points towards a portion of the latter with its opened clamping elements. The feeding channel is provided with a lateral opening at the junction position with the clamping means, which opening opens into an outlet chute extending along the side of the clamping means.
In practice it has become evident that this device does not safeguard the necessary function to a sufficient extent. The main reason for this is that particularly the tail fins of bent or curved fish, that is fish which have been deformed for various reasons, will miss the clamping slot of the clamping means and thus be guided directly to the outlet chute, i.e. in the same manner as those fish which arrive with their head ends leading.
3. Objects of the Invention
It is therefore a basic main and essential object of the invention to improve the known fish alignment devices.
It is, in particular, an essential and main object of the invention to provide for an alignment device which has a compact structure and ensures seizing fish orientated tail end leading safely at a high throughput rate, gripping them carefully and releasing them in a turned position.